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Abraham: Birth of a Nation

Luke 24:27 tells us the story of Jesus talking to two men walking on the road to Emmaus after His death and resurrection. He told them how everything in the Old Testament was ultimately about Him! That’s what we’re doing at church right now. Remember that after Adam and Eve, the human race quickly divided […]

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Sermon Notes

Luke 24:27 tells us the story of Jesus talking to two men walking on the road to Emmaus after His death and resurrection. He told them how everything in the Old Testament was ultimately about Him! That’s what we’re doing at church right now.

Remember that after Adam and Eve, the human race quickly divided into two camps–those who followed the Lord and those who didn’t. Things got so bad that only a remnant was saved through God’s judgment of a flood. Then God scattered them and nations began to form.

The scriptures trace the generations from Shem (the son of Noah) down to Abram and his nephew Lot. The end of Genesis 11 says that this group of folks eventually formed the first nations. Out of one of those descendants, God called one man–Abram–to begin a new nation.

Genesis 12:1-3 God promised to make a great nation out of his descendants, and that he and this nation would be a blessing.

Why Israel? Deuteronomy 7:6-8, also Revelation 1:6

God is creating a new nation, starting with one man. This is a nation where God was going to show His mercy, His holiness, His judgments, and His faithfulness. They mostly failed at that. But they succeeded, due to God’s grace, in bringing forth the Messiah, the Promised One–Jesus.

Those promises–they become ours! Exodus 19:6 and I Peter 2:9!

“To your seed” means “to your descendants,” but is also interpreted to mean One Seed in particular. This is what Paul says in Galatians 3:16 and 3:28-29.

Genesis 3:10–Abram went down to Egypt, and eventually ran into a famine. But he didn’t turn away from God’s call. This raises a great question: What do we do when we step out in God and then face hard times?

Genesis 13 (whole chapter) Abraham and Lot–a contrast in many ways. Check out the difference!

This is a lesson for our lives. Will we choose a path of what looks good to us? Or will we allow the Lord to direct our lives? This is the big fork in the road for all believers.

Lot chose what seemed best for him. But he ended up close to Sodom and Gomorrah, a greatly sinful people, and was compromised terribly and nearly lost his life. We wonder why some people’s lives have so much godly fruit, and other lives don’t. It’s because they act like Abram and not like Lot.

Prov. 14:12 and Prov. 13:20

Genesis 13:17–Arise and walk in the land through its length and its width. According to ancient custom, a property transfer was finalized by the new owner’s visit to the land.

This speaks to us today. We have a whole Book of promises. If you want to know who you are, and what you have at your disposal, get into God’s word.

Then, Abram meets Melchizedek, one of the most mysterious figures in the Bible! Genesis 3:18-20. He’s a TYPE, or ILLUSTRATION of Jesus. It could called an early hint or model of what was to come.

Here’s what we know about him:

He was a king and priest. King of Salem, an ancient word for Jerusalem…. Salem is from the word Shalom, and means peace, so he is an early Prince of Peace. The OT prophet Zechariah prophesied that the coming Messiah would be a king and a priest–an unheard of combination.

Unlike other kings or priests, he’s given no background, no genealogylike all the others in the Bible. He seems to appear out of nowhere. He has no recorded beginning and no end.

He blessed Abram, instead of the other way around. The greater always blessings the lesser! So he is greater than Abram, the wealthy, influential man who just rescued his nephew, winning a war in the process.

Priests were people’s only connection with God, and only the High Priest could go into the Holy of Holies in the Temple once a year. Priests could only come from the line of Levi, and high priests, from the line of Aaron.

He’s mentioned here and then in the great prophetic psalm of the coming Messiah, Psalm 110.

Hebrews 7 talks all about the connections between the two, pointing out how unusual Melchizedek was, and how he was just a pale version of the coming Messiah, Jesus!

Priests made sacrifices for the people to cover over their sins, and they prayed continually for them. But they died, and a new priest would have to take over. Jesus made the One Final Sacrifice that needed to be made to wipe away sin, and unlike earthly priests, continues to live.

But He’s not leaning back and watching.

Hebrews 7:25 After providing the sacrifice for sins, Jesus stays connected with us. He is praying for us! He’s still an active priest on our behalf!